November 27, 2019

At the Dark Blue Café...

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... you can talk about whatever you want.

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87 comments:

Ken B said...

Trump signed the bill about Hong Kong. Good. And yet when I said it was important for him to speak up the Althouse Trumpkin Claque went wild. I was asked if I wanted to invade!
I predict the Trumpkins will fall in line this time though and sing his praises.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

we would like to wish the Biden crime family
(and new addition 7lb 3oz Conner Swindol Biden!)

a Happy Thanksgrifting...and a very Merry Burismas

****

But seriously folks-- may all the Althousians, both great & small
FEAST, with thanksgiving, on the blessings and riches, temporal
and eternal, bestowed upon us by a Gracious God.

dreams said...

Well, I want to talk about Amity Shlaes and her new book, Great Society: A New History. I just started reading it tonight and it's a very readable book. I'm a big fan of Amity Shlaes and I highly recommend her new book, if only liberals would read it.

Churchy LaFemme: said...

Moo Goo Goo Goo!

Big Mike said...

And in Wisconsin, 104 year old Florence Teeters shot a buck. Those Wisconsin women are tough!

traditionalguy said...

OMG. It's almost Christmas season. We better get ready. But first we have to remember the faith of our brave ancestors on Plymouth Plantations the day the Mayflower left them.

" What could now sustain them but the Spirit of God and His grace. May not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say:" Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this mighty ocean and were ready to perish in this wilderness, but they cried unto the Lord and He heard their voice and looked on their adversity....when they wandered in the wilderness out of the way and found no city to dwell in , both hungry and thirsty, their soul was overwhelmed in them . Let them confess before the Lord lovingkindness and His wonderful works before the sons of men." Writes William Bradford, a witness at the first Thanksgiving.

Original Mike said...

"And in Wisconsin, 104 year old Florence Teeters shot a buck."

The report I heard was this was her first deer hunt. I can see continuing to hunt until you drop, but to take it up at 104 is surprising.

Original Mike said...

One of the saddest aspects of my father's Alzheimers was the need to give up his life-long deer hunting.

narciso said...

And yet


https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/11/brexit-ho/

Ken B said...

Dreams
I liked her Forgotten Man. Thanks for the heads up.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

and in other royal families...

Prince Charles ‘to take on role as Prince Regent’: Heir to the throne meets his father to discuss taking control of family affairs as Queen, 93, prepares to ‘retire’ within 18 months

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7730449/Prince-Charles-prepares-leadership-Royals-Queen-turns-95.html

Qatari royals always up to no good. Untouchable. Gave $1M "gift" to Bill. A high-level Qatari royal Hamid Bin Abdul Sani al-Thani had sex with 16 Czech girls, two under 11. Charges immediately dropped. Member how the 49th most important pedo in DC had that art work...per @SayWhenLA

Hunter Biden may have to pay back the millions he made, which were stolen from the people of Ukraine, under U.S. law

http://dailytorch.com/2019/11/hunter-biden-may-have-to-pay-back-the-millions-he-made-which-were-stolen-from-the-people-of-ukraine-under-u-s-law/

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

per Jim Hoft

-Mock God
-Destroy the family
-Demonize men
-Legalize the murder of the unborn
-Promote nihilism across all media
-Elevate degeneracy in culture
-Remove any incentive to work
-Create dependency on the state

NYT asks: “Wow why are fertility rates falling?

The fertility rate in the United States fell in 2018 for the fourth straight year, extending a steep decline in births that began in 2008 with the Great Recession

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/27/us/us-birth-fertility-rate.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes

dreams said...

"Dreams
I liked her Forgotten Man. Thanks for the heads up."

Yeah, me too.

William said...

I'm unsure of the morality of fooling around with your dead brother's widow. The Bible offers conflicting guidance on this matter. I think we can all agree, however, that impregnating one of the strippers at the local gentleman's club is immoral behavior. In the NY Post, there was an article indicating that Hunter sent out to purchase a dildo for use on himself. While I don't approve of such behavior, it is certainly preferable to impregnating a stripper.....The other papers are highlighting the fact that one of the Trump sons shot wild animals on safari. Worth a try, but Hunter seems to be the dissolute and decadent one (and well worth the $50,000 a month the Ukrainians were paying him. I don't think all of this publicity about about dildos and pregnant strippers will help with his rehab. If he does relapse, you can count on the press reporting it as a response to the malicious publicity spread by the Trump supporters. The poor kid deserves our sympathy in his brave struggle with addiction, not this kind of scandalous reporting.

gspencer said...

"The poor kid [Hunter Biden is a 49-year old man] deserves our sympathy [you can be as wasteful of your sympathy as you wish; leave ours out of it] in his brave [did you really write "brave"] struggle with addiction, not this kind of scandalous [surely you meant "truthful"] reporting"

Perhaps you might consider one of those 28-day immersion programs for the delusional.

narciso said...


Oh thats important

https://mobile.twitter.com/LeeSmithDC/status/1199873012939599873

Gospace said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
stephen cooper said...

I'm with William in thinking it is fine to call Hunter Biden a poor kid, for comparison, I have known, IRL, people in their 80s I have thought of as poor kids ---


not to mention the stories we have heard about older celebrities being fleeced and fleeced again by people who should be taking care of them. Remember America's teenager DIck Clark (actually I am thinking of Casey Kasem) ----- or Stan Lee, both rumored to have been victims of elder abuse, and I am not saying it is because they lacked judgment in picking out those who they trusted, but the fact remains, we are all very very young compared to the age of the universe ....

of course, if any criminal court judges are reading this, no, I am not hinting immaturity is a defense to a crime, but it is, taking the long view, sad when a middle aged man acts in an immature way.

One of the billion things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving is that everyone in my large immediate family protected our old people, and made sure they were not mistreated in their weak and helpless post 85-years.

David Duffy said...

The orange sunset stripe hovering between the water below and the dark fading sky above, starts, from left to right, wide and promising. The stripe widens and narrows as it moves from left to right, finally fading on the right. The end of the sentence.

Michael K said...

I'm a big fan of Amity Shlaes and I highly recommend her new book, if only liberals would read it.

Thanks. It will be next after Kurt Schlicter.

Wishing all a good Thanksgiving.

Ann Althouse said...

Sorry, I forgot the sunrise tag. It’s not a sunset. And it’s looking somewhat north, not right at the sun.

William said...

I'm thankful to gspencer above for reassuring me that my sarcasm is not too heavy handed. Delicate irony is what I aim for.....Hunter Biden got a lot of breaks and a lot of money because of his father. He is now about to be broken and to be bankrupted because of his father....I have some sympathy for him. I guess a scandal about a pregnant stripper is endurable. but it's tough to mingle in the upper reaches of society when word leaks out about his predilection for having dildos administered to himself by strippers. I'm not being judgmental. It seems a relatively harmless activity, but it's the kind of thing one would wish to keep out of the papers while undergoing rehab....If there was any ambiguity in my previous comments, I wish to affirimatively state that Hunter Biden is far more decadent and dissolute than any of the Trump children.

Michael K said...

I've been predicting this fror a couple of weeks.

A number of right-leaning news sources speculate that House Democrats are having second thoughts about impeaching President Trump. Such speculation is based in part on polls that generally show opinion turning against impeachment, especially among independents.

We'll see.

Oso Negro said...

Hillary. It was Hillary for Althouse. I guess we kind of knew.

narciso said...



Justice what does that mean:

https://www.navytimes.com/opinion/2019/11/27/op-ed-navy-corruption-and-the-gallagher-case/

JaimeRoberto said...

Last weekend my 91 year old father and I had a successful pig hunt. Yesterday he found out that his cancer has spread and he can't walk without help. Enjoy it and then while you can and be thankful for every moment.

stephen cooper said...

Prayers for your dad, JaimeRoberto ...

FullMoon said...

Uh-oh, now Joe Biden must worry about Fox reporter asking for his opinion about this?
"It's a personal matter"


Strippers used sex toy on Hunter Biden at NYC's Hustler Club: sources

FullMoon said...

"...some sympathy for him. I guess a scandal about a pregnant stripper is endurable. but it's tough to mingle in the upper reaches of society when word leaks out about his predilection for having dildos administered to himself by strippers."


Nah, probably pick up a bunch of like minded new friends amongst the elites...

narciso said...

Prayers for him jaime roberto

Old and slow said...

I've just been confirmed for a retreat at Cloisters On The Platte on December 19. I don't know for sure who recommended it (Dave Begley?), but it was someone here on Althouse. I've got a bit of an interest in Nebraska these days and people think that's peculiar...

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Daniel

narciso said...



When soeaking truth to power isnt metaphorical

https://members.tortoisemedia.com/2019/11/23/daphne-caruana-galizia-malta-arrest/content.html

wildswan said...

The Dems going to impeach Trump in the House although they are the ones who will be harmed. After Captain Shifty Kangaroo started his daytime TV show, Trump's poll numbers rose. When it goes to Jerry Nadler people will get another chance to see what a fool that Dem is. When impeachment goes to the Senate people will become convinced that there are two sides at least to Ukraine policy so Trump can't be impeached for holding one side but people will also become convinced that American aid in the Ukraine was going to pay Hunter Biden's obscene salary and that he was spending US aid money on crack and refusing it to his baby son. There aren't two sides on that. It would be smart to stop but the Dems aren't smart. They can't see past the TV cameras.

J. Farmer said...

@ Ken B:

Trump signed the bill about Hong Kong. Good. And yet when I said it was important for him to speak up the Althouse Trumpkin Claque went wild. I was asked if I wanted to invade!
I predict the Trumpkins will fall in line this time though and sing his praises.


Count me among the folks who aren't too thrilled about this bill. It lets the US do a lot of (hypocritical) moral posturing but doesn't really contribute positively to the reality on the ground. The bill provides next to no strategic benefits for the United States but comes with some strategic liabilities.

Lucien said...

John Hinderaker at Powerline has posted (11/25) what I have long thought: any intelligent person who honestly believed that climate change poses an “existential threat” would be all in for nuclear power. (But of course that is a capitalist solution requiring no global government, and compatible with rising standards of living for all).

narciso said...

https://www.bizpacreview.com/2019/11/22/tucker-carlson-and-neil-patel-roger-stone-jeffrey-epstein-and-the-crackup-of-americas-leadership-855838

JackWayne said...

If you follow Conservative Treehouse, Trump signing the bill is expected: he has already achieved his goals with China. There’s no downside if China gets pissed.

Birkel said...

The Senate was (nearly?) unanimous and the House was too.
What was Trump supposed to do?
A pocket veto might have been the only option.
But laying the Hong Kong bill at Trump's feet is dumb.

Drago said...

JackWayne: "If you follow Conservative Treehouse, Trump signing the bill is expected: he has already achieved his goals with China. There’s no downside if China gets pissed."

Correct. The brilliant economic battle plan rolled out by Trump and his amazingly competent team of Ross, Navarro, Mnuchin, Kudlow et al has put the US in a position few could have dreamed possible 3 years ago.

Whether or not Trump signed this latest bill or not has no impact on this irrefutable altering of the chess board vis a vis China in the favor of the US.

Of course, using the term "brilliant" to describe anyone other than Rachel Maddow or obama is quite triggering for FakeCon LLR Chuck.

But no one cares about that.

Drago said...

Birkel: "But laying the Hong Kong bill at Trump's feet is dumb."

Quite.

The bill, thankfully, doesn't alter anything meaningful for our China strategy, so I really don't know what Ken B is crowing about.

I'm still waiting to hear of the complete demise of the Kurds which Ken B told us was imminent many weeks ago.

Not unlike how the Trump Admin Net Neutrality ruling was going to result in the death Death DEATHS!!! of Americans everywhere!!!

Not unlike how the Trump Admin obamacare mandate ruling was going to result in the death Death DEATHS!!! of Americans everywhere!!!

You get the point.

Its just one hyped up "crisis" after another which, in the end, predictably goes "poof".

Ken B said...

Farmer
I didn’t expect you would like it.

Of course your analysis is wrong; losing face does matter in the world as does seeming weak and feckless. Give bin laden credit for understanding people follow the strong horse. An America that is not respected is in more danger than one that is. And grovelling never feels good.

There is another point, more abstract. A Russian general said the USSR was doomed once Reagan called it an evil empire because its followers could not in their hearts disagree. Nations need a reason to be.
You worry about social decline. So do I. A country that announces its own secular scripture no longer applies is weakened.

So one can be feckless weakling afraid of shadows or be Ronald Reagan. Even AOC gets that.

Ken B said...

Birkel wants to kowtow. Quel surprise.

And Drago bullshits since I never predicted anything with the Kurds. I said Trump took foolish risks. Which he did.

But I was wrong. Birkels need to grovel exceeds his need to support Trump. Well, live and learn. Apologies for overestimating your pride in America Birkel!

Birkel said...

And the liar takes exception with nothing I typed, choosing instead to pretend I said other things. No surprise that a liar acts that way.

Dispute the facts, Liar Ken B.

Ken B said...

Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush: “We stand against communist tyranny.”

Carter, Birkel, Farmer, Drago: “Whatya mean ‘we’?”

Birkel said...

Notice how the Liar, Ken B, without any need whatsoever just makes shit up.
Now, a Liar like Ken B could have just typed "fair enough point about political reality but still the wrong move by Trump" but I foreclosed that route by suggesting the pocket veto.

Brilliant move by me to anticipate how Ken B would Lie, again.
Ken B prefers lying.

Birkel said...

More Ken B lies.
It happens so easily, for a Liar like Ken B.
You need a Lie told?
Ken B is here to Lie and chew bubble gum.

Ken B said...

Hey Birkel. I praised Trump for signing the bill not as you foolishly suggest think it a “wrong move by Trump”.
Sad

Birkel said...

Ken B, a Liar, made up positions he wanted me to have taken and then objects when somebody does it back to him?
Weird!

Try not making shit up Ken B, you filthy fucking liar.

narciso said...

I think the sanctions have mostly kept china at bay, re hong kong, one needed to know if it had staying power. Remember trumps instinct like with venezuela was to try to get regional actors in charge. There were approaches to the venezuelan militaty that ended badlt.

stephen cooper said...

I don't know about other cultures, but in this culture the most common (not the worst, not the most important, but the most common) really hard times in life are this ----

for men, when they first fall in love with a specific young woman, during those years when there is nothing more they could want than having the young woman they love reciprocate that love, and realizing that they have faults, that, though no fault of their own ( a nerdy dad, an overweight mom, neither of whom understood that being non-nerdy or non-overweight are important qualities to have if you are a young guy who wants the young woman you love to love you back), they do not rank high enough among their fellow men to win the love of the woman they want, even if they would like nothing more than that in this world ..... that is hard ....
and later on, when they realize that after years and years of respecting and admiring their parents, which is something that is a basic human emotion, that their parents have grown old and full of cares and , to tell the truth, have become incompetent to take care of themselves ...... that is quite a difficult transition ....

for women, the hardest trial of life comes later, young women have lots of choices as to which men to reject, the problem comes later when she realizes that the man she fell in love with and settled for --- usually foregoing her first choice, which is also sad ---- is not going to be a great father, he is not going to be someone that she can brag about, but he is her husband, and he is the father of her children ,,,, and then of course it is usually worse for women when the parents get senile and unable to take care of themselves, because usually the grown-up brothers figure out a way to make sure the grown-up sisters take on most of the unpleasant responsibilities of taking care of the aged parents ....


Happy Thanksgiving.


If you are tempted to care for a single second about other people, give some thought right now to people who had it the worst in life. If you are a thinking feeling person you know who I am talking about.
Pray that God shows them - not at some indeterminate future date, but RIGHT NOW - the consolation that only God can effectively and timely give.
Thanks for reading.

Dave Begley said...

Yes, Daniel, it was me.

Be on time! The gates lock on Thursday night.

Bring some spiritual reading.

I think Cloisters on the Platte is the greatest work of art in the world when you look at the whole project.

You will love it!!!

Report back, please.

narciso said...

Yes they need the word more than most.

Lucien said...

Just saw an ad for a speech to be given by Anita Hill “Speaking Truth to Power 28 Years Later”.

28 years and she’s still milking her betrayal of her mentor.

When someone says “These women have nothing to gain” from stale and salacious claims, this is what the truth is. Christine Blasey Ford will be raking in honoraria in 2040 as a feminist icon.

narciso said...

And jane mayer has milking this for nearlty that long


https://mobile.twitter.com/ArthurSchwartz/status/1199813817104052225

narciso said...



This will work out in libta

https://mobile.twitter.com/wheelertweets/status/1199847234327793664

narciso said...



How does media work

https://mobile.twitter.com/esaagar/status/1199704232221462530

stephen cooper said...

"The wish to pray is a prayer in itself"

"Le desir d'offrir a notre bon Dieu, tant petit qu'elle soit, une prière pour un petit ami ou une petite amie -- cela, Dieu le sait bien, est tout aussi une grand prière, et en plus il n'y a pas une prière qui n'est pas beaucoup plus grand que nous n'imaginons ...."



- the desire to offer to God, even in a small way, a prayer even for a friend we have never cared much about before this moment .... such a desire, as God knows well, is in itself a great prayer, and for the record there is no such thing as a prayer that is not a much greater prayer than we can imagine -

lots of people reading this are going to have a great Thanksgiving tomorrow, surrounded by friends and family, and happy with the material joys of good food, good tobacco, good whisky, good music, good weather, all of it enjoyed in a nice clean house.

Well, this year the NFL games are going to be boring. That is nobody's fault, it is just random, like so many things in life seem to be.

Drago said...

Ken B: "And Drago bullshits since I never predicted anything with the Kurds. I said Trump took foolish risks. Which he did."

Nonsense.

You were spewing precisely the same dem/left talking points involving "abandoning our good Kurd allies" (demonstrably wrong) and "rewarding Putin" (demonstrably false).

You looked stupid then and later events proved that out in spades.

The Russians wanted that oil...which is precisely what Trump denied them.

The buffer zone between the Kurds and Turkey is in place and we did not go to war with a NATO ally.

All of which blows your opinions out of the water.

This Hong Kong thing is not THE battle. The economic war is THE battle.

Hong Kong's election results took care of the freedom message to Beijing.

Drago said...

Ken B: "Carter, Birkel, Farmer, Drago: “Whatya mean ‘we’?”"

Ken B, I am going to go out on a limb here and say only one of us went wing tip to wing tip with Soviet attack aircraft, and that one person in this conversation was not you.

Very LLR Chuck-like with your projections.

But only very.

Drago said...

Ken B is another tough guy Keyboard Ranger.

Gahrie said...

any intelligent person who honestly believed that climate change poses an “existential threat” would be all in for nuclear power.

They hate hydro too. So the two best sources of non fossil fuel power are verboten.

Gahrie said...

I wonder what lessons can be learned by comparing the French energy policies with German energy policies?

stephen cooper said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
readering said...

Strong evidence developing that there was no September 9 phone call between Trump and Sondland. Explains why Trump needed notes to address reporters. He could not report from memory a non-existent conversation.

Ken B said...

No Drago, I said he was rewarding Erdogan. As he was. And as he did again when Erdogan returned Trump's letter. That made a Trump look weak. What a triumph for an Islamist , to make the President of the United States look like your poodle. Almost as bad as watching Obama bow to a king. (I bet even Birkel objected to that.)

Drago said...

readering: "Strong evidence developing...."

LOLOLOLOLOLOOL

The Walls Are Closing In!!

We Have Reached A Tipping Point!

The End Is Near!

Kavanaugh Gang Raped 5,000 Women!

It never stops with these lefty morons....which will be quite helpful come November of 2020.

Drago said...

You are way out of your depth Ken B.

And the fact that you immediately reverted to accusations of my being somehow weak on communism clearly demonstrated you are just a gussied up LLR Chuck.

But you hang in there. At some point you just might get that next unnecessary mideast war that you crave.....just not under this President.

I am sorry this is happening to you.

Thoughts and prayers in this difficult time for you.

Quaestor said...

And in Wisconsin, 104 year old Florence Teeters shot a buck.

I hope dear Florence takes stringent precautions with the venison. Wisconsin is one of the hotspots of CWD.

rhhardin said...

Morning radio show tuned in very brieflfy (streaming): "you know what, give us a call and tell us what you're thankful f..."

Guest host. The show is usually awful but you get extra on days off.

stevew said...

Happy Thanksgiving.

AllenS said...

The worst thing about Thanksgiving Day is one of my favorite radio stations, WEVR out of River Falls WI goes to Christmas music and won't stop until the Epithany on the 5th of January. Torture, pure torture.

Quaestor said...

J. Farmer writes: Count me among the folks who aren't too thrilled about this bill.

Hand wringing over China's offended sensibilities.

If it were 1936 Framer would be none too thrilled about affronts to Germany over those pesky Jews.

Big Mike said...

We got up early, of course, so that wife, daughter-in-law, and son could get to work on the turkey. I have been exiled to the home office, the farthest room on this floor of the house. And I will stay here, if I know what's good for me.

@AllenS, atheist or no, the only Christmas song I particularly dislike is John Lennon's piece of drivel. Especially versions that include a children's chorus.

Birkel said...

Shut your lying whore mouth, Ken B.

Birkel said...

Queastor,
To be fair, J Farmer is none too worried about those people in 2019.

tim in vermont said...

Looks like Bloomberg is going to ruin the Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC with his constant Orange Man Bad ads.

Curious George said...

"Blogger AllenS said...
The worst thing about Thanksgiving Day is one of my favorite radio stations, WEVR out of River Falls WI goes to Christmas music and won't stop until the Epithany on the 5th of January. Torture, pure torture."

How feel about Saturday morning on WSAU News/Talk 550 AM Wausau. Polka American for three hours.

mockturtle said...

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! We all have much for which to be thankful.

Birkel said...

You too, mockturtle.
Happy Thanksgiving to all and sundry.

Will said...

Ann, I am really enjoying the daily sunrise pics!! And this is one of the best as were the really orange ones the day before!

I hope you are enjoying, and benefiting from, your experiment with morning runs and sunrises as much as we are!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Michael K said...

Ken B is showing his MOBY side again.

Francisco D said...

I try to hold off judgement, so it took me a while to realize that Ken B has turned out to be an asshole.

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving and doesn't have to talk politics at the dinner table.

Maillard Reactionary said...

Nice photograph. That one would work well enlarged as wall art, I think.

Ken B said...

Quaestor
Farmer to a T. But at least he usually smiles and is interesting.

Ken B said...

Ken B: I bet Birkel objected to Obama bowing to the Saudi King.
Birkel: You liar!

Draw your own conclusions.

tim in vermont said...

Bloomberg says the poor will just waste any money we leave them to spend.

https://twitter.com/odonnell_r/status/1200074757196132354

Reminds me of this:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/liberal-apologizes-for-saying-harper-day-care-bucks-may-buy-beer-popcorn-1.534811

Don’t expect Bloomberg to apologize. What’s next? "Scientific feeding?” That’s when that commie Romanian ruler said that giving the people too much food shortened their lives, which was, I guess, the best argument for socialism.

Marc in Eugene said...

What else have I missed, I wonder? Epiphany has been moved from the 6th January to the 5th?